The present invention relates to a personal stereo speaker assembly adapted to be supported by the temple pieces of eyeglasses worn by the user.
Personal stereos, or miniature audio equipment such as radios and tape players, are typically carried on the person of the user. The sound from such personal stereos is heard by the user by means of earphones or ear pieces plugged into the miniature audio equipment by audio leads.
The most common earphones in use include a pair of ear pieces attached to opposite ends of a resilient metal or plastic band worn over the head of the user to properly position the ear pieces with respect to the ears of the user. These earphones have the disadvantage of being difficult to adjust to users having different size heads, are easy to dislodge if the user participates in strenuous physical activity, and are uncomfortable to wear for extended periods of time.
Other earphones are supported by various types of headgear worn by the user. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,538,034 to French, issued Aug. 27. 1985, discloses a bracket earphone assembly adapted to hook over user headgear such as goggles, a visor, or a headband. Also, U.S. Pat. No. 4,683,587 to Silverman, issued Jul. 28, 1987, discloses a submersible personal stereo in which ear plugs are attached by tubes to the back of a pair or goggles; by moving the tubes the ear plugs can be brought into alignment with and placed in the ears of the user. Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 4,864,619 to Spates, issued Sep. 5, 1989, discloses a fabric headband enclosing a stereo wiring system. Headphone speakers are detachably secured to the inside of the headband by conventional fabric securing tape such as Velcro, at the approximate location of the ears of the user.
Other types of earphones are supported on the temple pieces of eyeglasses worn by the user. See for example the following United States Patents.
______________________________________ U.S. Pat. No. Inventor Issue Date ______________________________________ 3,588,384 Negley 06/28/71 4,888,805 Karppala, Jr. 12/19/89 4,901,355 Moore 02/13/90 ______________________________________
The patent to Negley shows a relatively complicated and bulky headset containing a microphone and earphone. The Negley headset is adapted to be attached by a clip to one eyeglass temple piece.
The patent to Karppala, Jr. shows a pair of bracket arms for supporting a pair of headphones in proximity to the user's ears. Part of each bracket arm is permanently fixed to one of the temple pieces of a pair of eyeglasses; the use of the Karppala, Jr. assembly permanently defaces the eyeglasses to which it is attached.
The patent to Moore discloses an assembly in which a pair of loops or clamps are connected to respective temple pieces of a pair of eyeglasses. Miniature speakers dangle from the loops or clamps by means of loops of the audio lead wire which connect the speakers to an audio source; the audio lead wires are also used to adjust the tension and maintain the speakers close to the user's head. However, use of the audio lead wire as support for the speakers and to adjust tension has several disadvantages. First, the dangling speakers are likely to swing from side to side, away from proximity to the ears, in response to the user's movements, thus decreasing the user's ability to hear sound from the speakers. Second, the weight of the dangling speakers are likely to damage the loops of audio leads. Third, the tension on the connection between the unprotected audio leads and the speakers is likely to damage the audio leads.
None of the prior art devices disclose a personal stereo speaker assembly adapted to be supported by the temple pieces of eyeglasses worn by the user, which provides superior sound quality to the user, which can be quickly positioned on or removed from the temple pieces without damage to the eyeglasses, and which provides protection to the audio lead wires.